GenuineWow

I haven't written in awhile but wanted to gather and write down a few thoughts. (I've had only a few since November anyway.)

I admit I finally went to Shamwow.com this weekend because that cloth seems pretty impressive, soaking everything up the way it does. But this weekend, I've also tried to soak up everything surrounding the Inauguration.

I am particularly wowed by the juxtaposition of Martin Luther King Day and the Inauguration, reminding us of the triumph of justice and freedom for all people in the U.S. The wow Barack Obama creates is genuine, and I couldn't be prouder to be an American, knowing that he is about to become our president. The patriotism I'm feeling rivals what I felt after 9/11 and after the U.S. Hockey Team upset the Soviets in the 1980 Olympic Semi-Finals. But I know that the hope I have and that all Americans have is also the hope that most people across the globe have.

The challenges we face are monumental, but Obama is a man for whom monuments could end up being named. I eagerly await this inaugural address. Though I can't quite fathom how he will top the brilliance with which he has spoken in the past, I presume this address will be one of the greatest speeches in American history. I anticipate verbal majesty that includes a compelling, JFK-esque call to action for all of us to sacrifice, for he will not be able to accomplish what he has promised without our active engagement. He has already inspired millions to reflect on our responsibilities as citizens. We will have to recalibrate our priorities and accept fewer of the 'things' that we feel have made our lives richer, and push for those things that make our lives and the lives of those around us better.

(The twisted humor side of me would love to see him freak out doubters by pulling out a Koran and begin to take his oath and then say, "I'm just messin' with ya." (I'm actually hoping that at the end of his eight (!) years, using religion as a wedge issue will be just an unpleasant remnant of the past, the way race should become, too.))

If Barack Obama, our 44th president (did I miss the comparisons with Hank Aaron also being number 44?), can help live up to even a fraction of the promises he made and the promise he represents, the world will indeed be a better place...

My prayers are for the Obamas, for the country and for all the peace-loving people of the world.